Panel drive expands to 300 hp

ABB’s DCS800-EP drive provides a compact package that simplifies design and installation – now up to 300 hp.

The DCS800-EP Panel Drive, a pre-engineered dc solution, can be sized up to 300 hp with the introduction of the “C” frame model, twice the previously available horsepower. This frame-size adds 200-, 250-, and 300-hp solutions to the product line, at 460 V ac, as well as 100-, 125- and 150-hp solutions, at 230 V ac.

The DCS800-EP includes the DCS800 drive module -- mounted on a multi-level subpanel, along with standard and optional components, such as ac contactor, fuses, and a control transformer.

Thomas Junger, the DCS800 Product Manager, said, “This is going to be a big help to those who need a panel drive retrofit, or just are looking for a high-performance unit that they can install in a hurry.” Future expansion will bring the power range up to 600 hp, he said.

Replacement for FlexPak 3000

The panel drive meets UL 508A, with a 65 kA short-circuit current rating (SCCR). It was engineered to be a virtual drop-in replacement for the Reliance Electric FlexPak 3000, commonly used in the steel- and pipe-mill industries, and also for extruders and many other applications. Since ABB’s acquisition of Baldor Electric, which sold the FlexPak 3000 for many years, the DCS800-EP is expected to be even more accepted, universally, as the FlexPak 3000 replacement (which continues to be in the “legacy” phase of its life cycle).

Highlights

10 to 300 hp at 460 V ac/500 V dc; 5 to 150 hp at 230 V ac/240 V dc

Space-efficient multilevel panel

Easy tool access to internal components

Pre-wired, pre-tested solution for smooth start-ups

Greatly simplifies the procurement process

Module can be replaced, without replacing the entire panel

Integral ABB ac contactor

UL Listed with 65 kA SCCR

Suitable for Heavy-Duty Applications

Wide range of options

The panel drive offers a wide range of options. It can be ordered with or without a main circuit breaker and blower motor contactor and overload. It also offers an integral line reactor right inside the package, when one is required, up to 150 hp, 460 V. The drive can be ordered without the ac contactor in case the existing dc contactor can be reused. ABB components have been used whenever possible, and the panels are built in the USA.

Annual Salary Survey

Before the calendar turned, 2016 already had the makings of a pivotal year for manufacturing, and for the world.

There were the big events for the year, including the United States as Partner Country at Hannover Messe in April and the 2016 International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago in September. There's also the matter of the U.S. presidential elections in November, which promise to shape policy in manufacturing for years to come.

But the year started with global economic turmoil, as a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing triggered a worldwide stock hiccup that sent values plummeting. The continued plunge in world oil prices has resulted in a slowdown in exploration and, by extension, the manufacture of exploration equipment.